Toph's Injured Feet
by ClockworkScales
Summary: Set during Book 3: Fire, The Western Air Temple. What if Toph's feet could not be healed by Katara in time and she lost all feeling in her feet? Zuko tries to help Aang restore her vision. The three of them travel to the spirit world to try and find a healer. Toph/Zuko. One shot.


_A/N: This only exists because I thought Zuko/Toph were cute in the show and I wanted to try make a plausible scenario between them. This is set during Book 3: Fire, The Western Air Temple._

* * *

'Toph, I'm sorry.'

'Your apologies mean nothing to me. Maybe if you could help me SEE again I would consider forgiving you.'

'Maybe you can use your hands.'

'Not practical. Do you expect me to walk on my hands my whole life? And then how would I bend – with my feet?'

Toph groped in front of her. She could feel movement at her fingertips. Suddenly, she felt large, rough hands on her shoulders, and she swung at them with all her might. She could hear the rippling of clothes, a tightness on her shoulder muscles again. Zuko's voice was full of despair. The smacks against his arms made the teenager's grip buckle for a moment, but then his grip was strong again.

'Toph, I came to talk to you because I wanted to help you!' Silence. A heavy sigh. 'I know another way you might be able to see... But it's... crazy.'

'I'll take crazy over helpless! Spit it out!'

The hands on Toph's shoulders lifted. Toph could hear some muffled voices from outside the earth tent she had erected around herself.

'Maybe if you get a better feel for fire – for heat - you might be able to sense temperatures better. Maybe that could help you see.'

'And how am I meant to do that?' Toph demanded, 'Fire bending? Only the Avatar can use more than one type of bending, you know!'

'Maybe you just need training...' Zuko mumbled. 'Maybe it's just a matter of becoming familiar with it.'

'Even if I did get that, sensing temperature has a limited range.' Toph said, her voice becoming surly. 'I appreciate that you're trying to help, but...' She felt the rage boil up inside of her. '… _But you've ruined my life!_'

At that, she could hear Katara's voice emanating from outside. 'Toph, let me try to heal your feet again. Once Prince Feet-Ruiner is out of the tent, that is!'

'It won't work,' Toph said mournfully. 'You can try all you want, but you'll fail.'

Zuko growled, and Toph could feel him brush aside from him. But she couldn't feel his footsteps. Her feet, curled beneath her, were scarred beyond repair. The burn had lessened, but her only method of sight was gone.

She listened with creeping exhaustion as Zuko left her little hut, and the fire bender was met with the heavy silence of disappointment.

* * *

Zuko met many stares as he exited. He turned to Aang, who was cross-armed and anxious.

'Aang! Can't you do anything?'

'I suppose we could try traveling to the spirit world... But I don't know many spirits,' Aang admitted. 'But I do think we should help her if we can. There's still a lot I need to learn about earth bending before I can face the Fire Lord.'

'Hey Aang, maybe you can take Zuko with you – and then ditch him!' Sokka exclaimed. 'He's caused enough trouble already!'

'Zuko,' Aang began. 'I will try to go to the spirit world to help Toph, but I want you and Toph to come with me.'

'But she's helpless now,' Zuko began. As soon as he said that, he heard a roar of anger burst from the earthen hut. Toph crashed past Katara on the way out of the tent and tripped at Zuko's. She reached towards him and rung his robes. Then she turned and reached around for Aang, getting to her feet. When she found his bald head, she tried to punch him in the arm, but missed.

'Take me to the spirit world! I want to restore my vision!'

'Okay,' Aang began. 'But we need to go somewhere private.'

Aang took Toph's hand and pulled her along behind him. Toph could hear Zuko's footsteps next to her.

'Why does he have to come? He's the one who ruined my feet!'

'Why are you so resentful? I said I was sorry -'

'A simple sorry doesn't fix my feet, does it?' Toph snapped.

Zuko was silent again.

'I'm taking you because you seem sincere, though there is the potential benefit of ditching you if we run into trouble!' Aang exclaimed, somewhat bitterly. 'Joking aside, if you do anything funny, I'll be there to see it. You can't leave without me.'

Zuko's voice was quiet when he finally spoke.

'I know you don't trust me, but... If I help Toph get her vision back, will you accept me as your Fire Master, Aang?'

Aang didn't answer for a few minutes. They twisted through abandoned corridors. 'I might consider it. But don't consider it a given. I'm keeping my guard up.'

Toph heard a sigh of relief from Zuko. Suddenly, Aang stopped moving. Toph bumped into him from behind. She could hear leaves hitting the ground and then being swept back into the air by the wind. She could feel her hand getting sweaty in Aang's grip, and she could feel the blisters under her feet ache under her weight. She could feel sunlight on her scalp. They must be at an opening somewhere.

'Um...' Aang began. 'I haven't actually traveled to the spirit world with more than one person before, so let's all hold hands. I don't even know if this will work- but holding hands should help somehow!'

Toph pointed to her left where she heard Zuko last. 'I'm not holding hands with him.'

'Try to trust me,' Zuko said. 'I'm here to help.'

Toph put her hand down, realizing she had been pointing in the wrong direction. Zuko had moved to her right side. She held out her hands, begrudgingly. She felt Aang's small girly hand in her left, and Zuko's large roughened hand in her right. As much as she hated to admit it, Zuko had nice hands. He might have made a good earth bender.

Minutes passed, but Zuko nor Toph dared say a word. But then, Toph saw something... A light in her vision. In her eyes.

Her head exploded with stars and colour. She felt nauseous. Her grip tightened on the boys's hands. But the vision in her eyes disappeared as soon as it had began. Suddenly, Zuko's sarcastic voice echoed in her ears.

'Incredible, this is what the spirit world looks like? It looks like...'

'It smells like a musty basement.' Toph said.

Zuko's hand fell out of Toph's.

'That's because it _is_ a musty basement,' Zuko said. 'There are barrels in the corner of the room, and steps leading upstairs.'

'Well, each time I've gone into the spirit world I seem to end up in a different place,' Aang began. He paused and Toph could hear him sit on the wooden floor. 'I just need to summon Roku to help us. I haven't done it for some time, it might be awhile.'

Toph sat on the floor while she waited, running her hands across the floor. A few splinters got caught in her fingertips and she grit her teeth.

'What sort of spirit world gives its inhabitants splinters? Talk about welcoming.'

She pulled her hands up to her mouth to try and pull them out with her teeth, but they were too deep. Even feeling them with her fingernails were difficult. She growled. Suddenly, she felt Zuko's hands over her own.

'I can help you. Stay still. Stop wriggling.' Zuko said. Toph pouted and let him do it. She could feel his hands shaking slightly, but not enough to make a mistake.

'What are you scared of?' Toph teased, but she bit her tongue as Zuko pulled the splinters out with impressive dexterity. When he was done, he wrapped the tips of her fingers in some fabric he tore off his gown, but Toph threw it off. 'How do you expect me to see with this, dummy?'

'You need to take it easy or you'll hurt yourself. There's some blood on your fingers.'

'You sound just like my parents – just stop it!'

'Guys, be quiet! I can't summon Roku like this. Just stop talking, okay?' It was Aang.

* * *

Toph lay against the wood, waiting.

Toph heard Roku speaking to Aang for a few moments, but she phased out once they started talking about more serious topics. It was all spiritual mumbo jumbo, she didn't need to hear about it. She could sense Zuko's breathing nearby, he seemed calm enough.

Apparently a Healer spirit was waiting upstairs, conveniently enough. Toph waited for Aang to take her hand, but it was Zuko who did it instead.

'Hey, if you think you're gonna get with me once my feet are healed, think again!'

Zuko scowled in response to that, but she felt her way up the stairs with Aang waiting patiently behind her. They walked onto a wooden balcony. Toph only knew it was a balcony because she could feel the breeze from in front of her. The wind hit her waist unevenly, like there were rungs in front of her. She couldn't be sure. Maybe they were teeth?

'Great Healer spirit,' Aang began. 'I am the Avatar and my earth bending teacher has been accidentally injured. I was wondering if you could help her.'

'It was my fault,' Zuko jumped in. 'If there's anything I can do, please, let me know. I've already messed up so much, but I want to make it up to Toph. To Toph, and everybody. I want them to trust me.'

The first thought that came to Toph's mind when she heard the spirit talk was "chalk". For some reason the smell of chalk appeared when it talked. It seemed to have a big mouth, because a big gust of breath hit her in the face as it talked. And it circulated her. She could feel its breath moving from her arms to her back.

'Avatar Aang, it is a part of my contract that I only help you once per lifetime.'

'What kind of contract is that?' Zuko demanded. 'If you have healing powers you should share it, shouldn't you? Just who is your stupid employer anyway?'

'Zuko, you shouldn't talk to a spirit like that!' Aang said. But Zuko didn't care, apparently. And neither did the spirit.

'Just because we are spirits, doesn't mean we are invincible.' The healer spirit said simply. Its voice had such an air of finality to it, that nobody bothered to ask further questions.

'It's okay, I choose to invoke your healing power now,' Aang said. 'I know I'm going to need Toph's help for our mission.'

The spirit said nothing. It circulated Toph again, and then Toph felt the feeling of fine sand under her feet- more chalk? She coughed with the strange dusty fumes. But then she realized – she could feel under her feet!

'My feet are healed!' She exclaimed happily. She heard Zuko sigh with relief.

'I can heal your eyesight if you like,' the healer said. 'I can heal you completely. You would be able to see again. However, it would be confusing and difficult to adjust to the world considering you had been born blind. Normally vision could not be restored without severe detriment to the person under those conditions, but if I heal you, you will be able to surpass that in a month or two.'

Toph was stunned. 'The ability to see?'

'I should note that if I don't completely heal you I could spare some healing for Aang at a later time. I would not be able to help in severe circumstances however.'

'You're just changing the rules on us?' Zuko hissed under his breath. But the spirit was silent.

Toph thought about it for some moments. 'If there is some healing power left over for Aang, I think he should keep it. He needs it more than I do, after all. And a month or two? Being confused with new senses for that long is too long. Sozin's Comet comes soon, and I'll need to be ready.'

* * *

When Toph, Zuko, and Aang got back to the real world, everybody was relieved that their journey was successful.

'That seemed almost too easy,' Sokka said. 'Did Zuko had to sacrifice something to help Toph?'

'No,' Zuko began. 'But I'm glad Toph was able to restore her... _feet_... back to normal. Not that I exactly did much - in fact, I did nothing. Er, I promise I'll make it up to all of you.'

'In due time, Mr. Assassin,' Sokka said. 'In due time.'

Toph walked away for a moment, and dangled her legs over the edge of the Temple, feeling the wind beneath her feet. She heard Zuko sit beside her, but still keeping about a foot's distance.

'I wanted to apologize again for what I did to you. I didn't even really help in the end. I need better control of my bending.'

Toph grinned and reached for Zuko's face. She felt the left side, feeling hardened grooves around his eye. Her grin faded.

'They weren't kidding about that scar, huh?'

'No.' Zuko said.

'Not much of a talker now, are you?'

'I just wanted to ask for your forgiveness, again. I know I don't deserve it - I hurt you. But I want things to be okay between us, especially if we might work together in future.'

Toph punched Zuko in the arm, affectionately. 'I forgive you. Really, if I wasn't able to get my feet back to normal I wouldn't have, but that spirit thing was so easy it's just hard not to. But you'll have a harder time convincing the others to trust you again. I don't think it is easy for them.'

'I appreciate your support. If you'll excuse me...'

Zuko went to his feet, but Toph was quicker. She jumped to her feet and kissed his cheek. It was soft, but firm.

'You just kissed my arm.' Zuko said, slowly.

'Oh, I did?' Toph laughed, trying to hide her blush under her hair. 'I mean - I meant to! You have nice earth bending arms.'

'… Thanks...' Zuko mumbled.

Toph could feel his heartbeat quicken in his chest. He sounded stiff. Obviously embarrassed. He shuffled away. Toph could hear Sokka stifling a laugh behind his hand.

'It's okay, you can laugh. Laugh at a blind girl!'

Sokka shut up that time. 'Why do you have to keep doing that!'

Toph smiled, massaging her feet with her hands. 'It's what I do.'

Zuko would have to prove himself to the group another way.


End file.
